I'd like to add a quick comment to help out my poor fellow Americans who get gouged on ticket prices to Ibiza.
I just finished planning my 2nd trip to Ibiza, and both times I've done hours & hours of research getting the cheapest flights, at the times I want to travel. Tips for yanks trying to fly on the penny:
- Oribtz.com normally has the lowest rates for full round-trip from US -> Ibiza (compared with Expedia, Travelocity, and Priceline)
- It's much cheaper to fly if you don't buy full round-trip tickets. To get the best deal on tickets you should buy round-trip tickets to Barcelona (BCN) or Madrid (MAD). Next, go to iberia.com, air-europa.com or spanair.com and buy roundtrip tickets from MAD or BCN to Ibiza (IBZ).
- The above point will normally always save you a few bucks. If you buy 2+ months in advance it probably won't save much. But if you only book tickets 2-4 weeks in advance you'll save anywhere from $200 to $800 on your total ticket price. (Last August the cheapest I could fly full roundtrip US -> IBZ was $1800. So instead I flew to BCN for $750, then flew iberia roundtrip BCN-IBZ for $70. Trip: $800 instead of $1800)
- If you do use the above method then be sure schedule at least 2 hours between flights on BOTH ends of the trip when you pass through BCN or MAD. This is because you have to leave the airport, and the re-check-in to get on your next flight. Give yourself time that you don't have to rush.
- On the way home be ESPECIALLY aware of the time between flights. International flights take a lot longer to get through ticketing since they're not allowed to pre-print tix, you MUST check-in.
- Roundtrip BCN to IBZ should only cost you around $45 - 70. If you can't find any better rates, then the ferry to Ibiza is only a very quick cab ride from the BCN airport.
- Watch for special European travel offers from airlines. If you see a deal to fly to London, Madrid, or Barcelona for cheap, jump on the deal, then buy tickets direct for that city roundtrip to Ibiza. I've seen deals for $300 - 400 to fly to spain. That means you can get to Ibiza for a total of $400 - 500!
- Don't worry about being a foreign national buying airline tickets in other countries. Being foreign and buying tickets isn't a big deal at all over there.
- Unfortunately if you want a late flight out of Ibiza you CAN'T do it. All international flights out of Spain leave no later than around 2pm. Which means you have to arrive in mainland Spain no later than noon, so you have to fly out of Ibiza no later than 11am. If you REALLY want to work around this, you can get a late flight out of Ibiza (8 - 11pm) to fly into MAD or BCN, and then spend the next 6-8 hours hanging out in the BCN or MAD airports and catch the earliest flight home. (This is a great method if you REALLY want to stay at a club til 8am on your last night and don't want to worry about rushing to the airport afterwards)
- Spanish airlines don't charge too much more / less for two one-way tickets or 1 round-trip ticket. This means that if one airline can get you THERE cheaper, or at a better flight time, but a different one gets you BACK cheaper or easier, then just book one-way tickets with both airlines.
- The best days to fly for the lowest rates are Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Of those, Fridays are typically the lowest for most airlines.
- Unless you have a package deal, don't even bother trying to check if it's cheaper to do the double-roundtrip-ticket plan and try to go through London. It'll cost you an extra $100 - 200 no matter how you shake it. Just go through MAD or BCN.
- I recommend choosing between BCN and MAD as to which one is a better hub to get you a direct flight back home. You'll want to deal with as FEW lay-overs as possible, especially when coming home.
Phew. That was a lot. Anyhow, I hope some of this helps... somebody.
G'luck!